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KOOIXX )S 1 xA XI). 

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Sberwoob press. 

1901. 




















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Ubte iSbitton 


Printed in Colors on DeckeLedge Paper, 


Limited to 200 Copies. 


Copy No. 


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Ordinary Edition 10,000 Copies. 



Composed 

Hn admiration ©f ©be Iberoic Daring 
Displaced J6s ©be 


BRAVE FARMERS 

©t ©be Jfree State and ©be IDaal 
H n THnaidedlg IResisting ©be flftost Unfamous 
©ppression. 


Of those who stake their lives, their all. 
Against tyrannic might. 

Content at Freedom’s glorious call 
To die for Home and Right. 





prefatory IRemarhs. 



his piece was composed during the week sub 


sequent to the glorious defense of Koodoos- 
rand, near Paardeburg, in the Modder drifts, by 
Gen. Piet Cronje; a resistance to barbarous and 
illegal warfare forever branding with infamy the 
British name; terminated on February 27, 1900. 

Refused by the New York “Journal” and 
“Herald;” papers hostile to Boer liberty; it first 
appeared in an abridged form to occupy one col- 
umn, in the Baltimore “Sun, ” of Mar. 10, 1900. 

A number of typographical errors, naturally 
incident in setting up the matter of a large dai- 
ly newspaper then disfigured its text, these have 
been corrected in this new edition ; which is pub- 
lished on the anniversary of the great battle to 
re-direct attention to the heroic Boer who has 
suffered on the dreary island where the first Na- 
poleon was persecuted with unabating malice un- 
til his melancholy end, — to re-awaken interest in 
his brave countrymen who are perishing to main- 
tain their rights, — and to again proclaim the ev- 
erlasting infamy of Chamberlain, Rhodes & Co. 
to the world 








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Awaken! friends of Freedom, 

And aid the righteous band 

Of plain, brave, men who battle 
For Truth and Fatherland. 

1 1 . 

Fan Independence’ beacon tires 
’Till all the land ’s aflame 

And all South Afrit;’ owneth 
A Free Republic’s name. 
iii. 

And controvert the scheming!* 

Of Chamberlain and Rhodes, 

Two diplomatic rascals 
On whom lie heavy loads 
IV 

Of all the scorn and obloquy 
That honest, true hearts heap 

Upon the loathsome scum of Earth 
Whose deeds “ make angels weep.” 
v. 

Hurrah ! Hurrah ! for Cronje, 

The Lion of the Vaal; 

To the dry bed of the Modder 
A dmiring millions shall 





Turn eyes of tearful pleasure, 

Speed words of praiseful pain, 
Where Glory casts her fadeless wreath 
On the Free Flags again! 

VII. ' 

And on the hosts of England 
Hurls contumely and scorn. 

Oh! better Britain’s hirelings 
Had ne’er for this been born ! 


VIII 

Now hearken to the story 
Of a stand unique in war; 

Forc’d by a lust for gold and pow’r 
All great minds must abhor. 


North of the high Tugela, 
South of the yellow Vaal, 

A brave and injured people 
Defied Great Britain’s thrall 


Over the Free State border 
A mighty army came; 
Raising the siege of Kimberley 
Where Cecil dwelt in shame; 


(A wretch ; who, had he meet reward 
Should the seventh circle know 
Of the drear Disian city 
By Dante built below). 


With two-score thousand Englishmen 
And nigh a hundred guns; 


As fleet hounds chase a flying fox 
Who safe to covert runs; 


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XIII. 

Both Kitchener and Roberts, 
The English brag and boast, 
O’ertook at fatal Koodoos rand 
With all their rav’ning host, 


XIV. 


The gallant Transvaal leader, 

Who, with his ox-drawn train, 
With great guns cumb’ring wagons; 
Travers’d the arid plain. 


xv. 


For thirty miles he trekked it, 

All in the British sight ! 

All through the scorching summer day 
Following friendly night. 


XVI. 


Charged by the swarming cavalry, 
Harried with shot and shell, 
While many a beast of draughtage 
And many a hero fell. 

XVII. 

He sought, he gained, his refuge 
In the Moddeu’s ravined bed, 
With troops all worn and wearied. 
Doubtful of help ahead. 

XVIII. 

And there he formed a bulwark 
With wagon and with spade, 
And his determined handful 
A wondrous defense made ! 


XIX. 


Upon that laagered stronghold 
Was wasted England’s might. 
Oh ! well the patriot burghers 
Withstood the narrowing fight, 


























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Close hov’ring like tlie vulture 
Ere it swoops upon its prey, 
On came the British soldiery 
To bait the Boer at bay, 


Out from the “dumb-bell” trenches 
A wave of fire crept; 

Like Mauna Loa’s molten stream 
On, witheringly, it swept. 

XII. 

Aghast, in wild disorder, 

The khakied columns fled ; 

The Minute-men of Bunker Hill 
Seemed risen from the dead ! 

XXIII. 

Within that river-fortress, 

To dauntlessly withstand 

The harpies of spoliation 

Unloos’d by Greed’s command. 

XXIV 

The Highlanders of Seaforth, — 

( False Scots who serve, for pay, 

The realm that rent their liberty 
In olden times away. ), — 

XXV. 

Were scathed as by the lightning 
That strikes the forest tree 

And piled in kilted heapings 
By the bullets of the Free ! 

xxn. 

Oh ! in the Sunday struggle, 

The regiments of pride 

Were hurl’d back toss’d and broken 
As seas from the Brison’s side. 





4 . 


XXVII. 




And the decorated lordling; 

A God in English eyes; 

Back, to a safer distance, 

From the peasant-soldier flies ! 

XXVIII. 

The veil will ne’er be lifted 

From the wounded and the dead, 

The mangled British thousands, 

’Round the red Modder bed. 
xxix. 

For ten days ’round that stronghold 
The baffled cordon stood, 

And plied their fell artillery ; 

The trenches ran with blood, 

XXX. 

Within, in gory masses, 

The captive oxen fell; 

And lyddite’s poisoned green 
Illum’d the scene of hell. 

XXXI. 

Lyddite; barbarian England, 

In defiance of the Age, 

Regardless of the code of W ar, 
Employs to spread carnage. 

XXXII. 

For why? The world looks tamely on, 
Nor hares to say the Nay ! 

That boldly said would stay its use 
And cease this unjust fray. 

* * # * * * 

XXXIII. 

’Tis o’er ! The dawning’s rosy light 
Encrimsons more the gory pen 

Where Cronje fiercely fought at bay, 
With his few, brave, heroic men. 

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XXXIV. 

In the torrid heat of trenches, 
Impregned with deathly air 

From the shell-mangled cattle 
Corrupting everywhere; 
xxxv. 

Without access to water, 

Ammunition running low, 

His few, unmounted, cannon 
Disabled by the foe. 

* * * * * * 
XXXVI. 

Forth from those pits of Acheron 
Doornkop’s old hero went 

Where Roberts waited, ’mid his guard, 
To give low triumph vent ! 

XXXVII. 

Unmoved, to outward seeming, 

His words controlled and few; 

The victor of Sunday’s battle 
Abashed that hireling crew, 

XXXVIII. 

And dwarf’d the queen’s base creature. 
As he tendered him the sword 

He drew for Transvaal freedom, 

For the peasant 'gainst the lord ; 

XXXIX. 

F or a people ’gainst the pirates 
Striving to steal their all 

And reave the rich Witwatersrand 
By their Commonwealth’s downfall ; 

XL. 

To bow the necks of freemen 
Under the yoke of slaves, 

As were wont the “pagan” Romans 
Ere lived these “ Christian ” knaves ! 


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XLI. 

They may glorify his capture 
With the vaunt of British lies, 

And claim Majuba’s lasting stain 
Effac’d by their dear-won prize. 

XI.II. 

But forty thousand British 
Were at the Koodoosrand 

Where scarce four thousand patriots 
Maintained their ten days stand ! 

XL1II. 

While on Majuba’s stony crest 
Seven hundred English lay, 

Of whom but one poor hundred fled 
At the wane of one short day ! 

XLIV. 

fled from before one-fifth their force 
Of farmer men away ; 

Oh ! Koodoosrand can never blot 
Out that disgraceful day ! 

XLV. 

They may tomb this hero of the veldt 
In a far lonely isle. 

But the sentient heart of the great wot 1<I 
Beats with him in exile 

XI.VI. 

As with all whom England’s pow’r 
Seized by untimely chance ; 

As with Arabi of Egypt ; 

As with Bonaparte of France. 

XLVII. 

The island-cell may crush his heart, 

His spirit break with fears, 

But the Cause for which the martyr strove 
Advances with the years ! 









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XLVIII. 

At Freedom’s spirit-stirring best 
All races merge in one, 

And all take up the just conflict 
So gloriously begun. 

XLIX. 

And if this war continues; 

( For continue well it may ), 

Let ev’ry just and leal heart 
To the Great First Cause pray : 

L. 

That the modern barbarians 
Who subjugate for gold ; 

Who poison with unlicensed arms ; 

May lose all lands they hold, 

LI. 

And the head-hunting Sirdar, 

Who desecrates the dead, 

And the mean-minded lordling 

Shall, like whipped whelps, have fled. 

LII. 

That the laurels of Omdurman 
Be blasted on his brow 

Which bore the brand of savagery 
Ne’er half so deep as now, 

LIU. 

And the infamy of Afghan’s wars 
Candahar’s victor knows, 

Enwrap with tenfold shrouds of shame 
The shamer of conquered foes. 

* * If. * * 

LIV. 

Oh ! shall our land our fathers saved 
From like monarchic flood, 

Behold twin sparks of Freedom’s tire 
Expire in seas of blood ? 


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Our gallant few who nobly fought 
The myrmidons of George, 

Who crimson’d o’er with naked feet 
The snows of Valley Forge. 

lyi. 

No merchant-spirit cramped those sires; 
No worship of Degree ; 

Corrupting Wealth had not begun 
To peril Liberty ! 

LVII. 

Their spirit lives again, today, 

( The craven world may see ), 

In those who ’ve made of Koodoosraxd 
A new Thermopylae. 

L Villa 

Oh ! may we do that for the Boers 
That Justice hath decreed; 

That France and Russia did for us 
In our hour of dire need. 

LIX. 

In the terrible test of trial, 

They ’ve earned title to be free, 

May the glad acclaim of nations 
That title guarantee ! 

LX. 

Oh ! for the men of Lexington, 

The men from “broad Santee,” 

Who Avon for us from tyrant rule 
Our heirship of the Free. 

LXI. 

With them to stem the Lion’s path ; 

To quell his sullen roar ; 

And raise the Twin Republics up, 
Enfranchised eA'ermore ! 


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hen had the "Messiah” MHig before George the 

Second, and the monarch,— aSter the conclusion of that 
production of the great composer,— expressed gratification at the 
entertainment ” that he had afforded him; “Sire.” responded 
the blunt German, his cheek, hushing with instant anger: “ I have 
not so much endeavored to nxTEUTAiN* you. as to make you bet- 
tek! ” And »uci is the raison d'etre for this poem, given by its 
author to those of its readers who misinterpret hi3 intention in 
introducing it to their notice* 














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library of 


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